Results 261-280 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Abbey Theatre (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Deputy Upton almost contradicted herself. We are awaiting the results of the feasibility study because we want to discover whether the relocation might be possible. There are issues which arise in the context of size and scale. There is also the fact that approximately 25 retail units are located in the GPO and these all have commercial leases. All of these issues would require to be...

Arts Funding (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Question Nos. 11 and 16 together. I wish to reassure Deputies that the Government appreciates the importance of the arts, culture and creative industries to Irish society and to our economy. We are conscious not only of the role of the sector in providing vital opportunities for self-expression and participation but also of the economic potential of the arts and creative...

Arts Funding (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I accept all the arguments made by the group. The campaign was designed not just to protect the budget but also to inform public opinion and unite all the arts groups. They had not done this in the past but they were challenged to do so by the McCarthy report last year, and this has been a benefit both to the groups and everybody else. Instead of seeing each other as competitors, the...

Arts Funding (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: We do not need to carry out such an assessment as we recognise that approximately 50,000 people are employed in the sector, either directly or indirectly. It is about the economy and the contribution to society. I will certainly be making that case for the budget. I am going to Ballaghaderreen in the morning to speak about culture, the European Market for Tourism at lunch and the GAA...

Arts Funding (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Yes.

Job Creation (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Haughey, Minister of State with responsibility for lifelong learning. I would like to thank the Deputy for raising the matter. He referred to a specific case on which I am not able to comment. In the prevailing economic circumstances, the Government's priority in response to the number of people who are unemployed has...

Departmental Strategy Statements (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I welcome Deputy Deenihan to this portfolio. He will bring added interest and vigour to it. My policy on the arts, culture and film sectors reflects Government policy in this area as set out in the programme for Government. This policy is to promote and strengthen the arts in all its forms, increase the profile of, access to, and participation in, culture and the arts, make the arts an...

Departmental Strategy Statements (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that it is not possible at this stage to give any commitments regarding the budget. However, the Government's commitment to the arts has been proven over the years. The Arts Council is just one method by which the Government funds the arts. This also takes place through capital funding through all the access projects nationwide, which builds on the point of ensuring the...

Departmental Strategy Statements (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I hope that throughout the country and through the education system, young people can be encouraged to write and to be creative, particularly given our history of storytelling. This history is no longer simply being linked to the cultural tradition. For example, if one takes the old Irish tradition of storytelling and links it to modern technology, one suddenly has an Oscar-winning...

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 2 and 5 le chéile. As the Deputy is aware, my predecessor requested a report from the Irish Sports Council, ISC, on the Mary Coghlan v. Athletic Association of Ireland and Irish Sports Council High Court case. In keeping with my earlier commitment to this House, the sports council report and the transcripts of evidence are now available on my Department's...

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The reason I published only the report of the Irish Sports Council on the website was that the council did not make any contribution to the High Court because the case was settled. Therefore, only one side of the case was presented in court, namely, that of Ms Coughlan. However, by publishing the transcripts on the website, her side of the story has been given a full airing. All of that is...

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I cannot comment on individual cases. There has been great success at the high-performance level during the summer, not least in the sport of boxing. Responsibility falls on the Irish Sports Council to ensure, through the carding system, that we support top athletes and that there is sufficient funding for the relevant organisations. That is the council's major role and will be in the...

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: It is not my intention to commission a report and to drag this issue on. Nor is it my intention to cause hurt or pain to anybody as would invariably arise were another report commissioned.

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: I am satisfied that both sides had their say, one in court and the other in the relevant report. I accept that we are talking about two different fora, but we have had both sides of the argument. I am concerned to ensure that proper governance and proper relationships continue to exist between the Irish Sports Council and all its member organisations.

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: As Deputies recognise, the reason I appointed Mr. Kieran Mulvey to the position was to bring his particular skills to bear on the Irish Sports Council and on its relationship with the organisations. I think we will see new procedures put in place in that regard. I accept that Ms Coughlan's side of the story was heard, but it was heard in the court. That is why I took the decision to publish...

Irish Sports Council (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: If we got into a situation where she replied to the Irish Sports Council, then the council would have replied to her. The case was dealt with in court and a settlement was made. The interest of sport would be better served by moving on and looking to see what could be learned from the matter.

Tourism Industry (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Government's framework for economic renewal included a commitment to develop an action plan to drive export-led growth over the coming years. Accordingly, the Government's new strategy and action plan for Irish trade, tourism and investment to 2015, Trading and Investing in a Smart Economy, was drawn up by representatives from the relevant key Departments and agencies, including my...

Tourism Industry (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: Tourist numbers undoubtedly declined since the introduction of the air travel tax. However, there is no evidence to suggest that the two are related.

Tourism Industry (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: A number of things impacted on the decline of tourist numbers. One is the economy in other European countries and the United States. The very poor weather at the beginning of this year impacted severely on us and then the volcano affected numbers travelling. If one throws into that mix the sterling and dollar differentials, one sees that many issues impacted on our tourist numbers. We do...

Tourism Industry (14 Oct 2010)

Mary Hanafin: The Tourism Review Group, the tourism implementation group, the Tourism Forum, the Irish Hotels Federation and various tourism bodies have looked for this tax to be removed on the understanding that it would increase the number of passengers coming into the country. That is what the airlines are saying they would be able to do. I am quite happy to continue my discussions with the Minister...